Mammary Glands of Women, Female Dogs and Female Rats: Similarities and Differences to Be Considered in Breast Cancer Research

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Jake

Breast cancer research commonly relies on animal models to generate insights translatable to human clinical practice. This review compares the mammary gland anatomy of women, female dogs, and female rats, and evaluates corresponding epidemiology, risk factors, and histopathological features of breast or mammary cancer in each model. It highlights key structural parallels, such as shared lactiferous ducts and lymphatic drainage between women and female dogs, and contrasts them with rat-specific duct organization. The review assesses model strengths and limitations and discusses how these differences inform experimental design and species-appropriate extrapolation of results.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

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Pages29

Reading Time1 h 13 min

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veterinary sciences Review Mammary Glands of Women, Female Dogs and Female Rats: Similarities and Differences to Be Considered in Breast Cancer Research Tiago Ferreira 1,2,3,4, *, Adelina Gama 5,6, Fernanda Seixas 5,6, Ana I. Faustino-Rocha 1,2,7,8, Carlos Lopes 9, V½tor M. Gaspar 4, Jo¢o F. Mano 4, Rui Medeiros 3,10,11,12,13 and Paula A. Oliveira 1,2, * Citation: Ferreira, T.; Gama, A.; Seixas, F.; Faustino-Rocha, A.I.; Lopes, C.; Gaspar, V.M.; Mano, J.F.; Medeiros, R.; Oliveira, P.A. Mammary Glands of Women, Female Dogs and Female Rats: Similarities and Differences to Be Considered in Breast Cancer Research. Vet. Sci. 2023, 10, 379. [https://doi.org/10.3390/](https://doi.org/10.3390/)[ ](https://doi.org/10.3390/)vetsci10060379 Academic Editor: Debora Groppetti Received: 25 April 2023 Revised: 23 May 2023 Accepted: 27 May 2023 Published: 30 May 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . 1 Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Tr¡s-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal 2 Institute for Innovation, Capacity Building and Sustainability of Agri-Food Production (Inov4Agro), University of Tr¡s-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal 3 Molecular Oncology and Viral Pathology Group, Research Center of IPO Porto (CI-IPOP)/RISE@CIIPOP (Health Research Network), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto), Porto Comprehensive Cancer Center (Porto.CCC), 4200-072 Porto, Portugal 4 Department of Chemistry, CICECO—Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, Campus Universit¡rio de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal 5 Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), University of Tr¡s-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal 6 Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), University of Tr¡s-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal 7 Department of Zootechnics, School of Sciences and Technology, University of 􀂒vora, 7004-516 􀂒vora, Portugal 8 Comprehensive Health Research Center, 7004-516 􀂒vora, Portugal 9 Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto), 4200-072 Porto, Portugal 10 Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto (FMUP), 4200-319 Porto, Portugal 11 Research Department of the Portuguese League against Cancer—Regional Nucleus of the North (Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro—Nócleo Regional do Norte), 4200-177 Porto, Portugal 12 Virology Service, Portuguese Institute of Oncology (IPO), 4200-072 Porto, Portugal 13 Biomedical Research Center (CEBIMED), Faculty of Health Sciences of the Fernando Pessoa University, 4249-004 Porto, Portugal * Correspondence: [tiagoterras55@gmail.com](tiagoterras55@gmail.com) (T.F.); [pamo@utad.pt](pamo@utad.pt) (P.A.O.) Simple Summary: Breast cancer research is frequently performed using a variety of models, including animal models, in an attempt to provide information that can be translated into human clinical practice. This review aims to demonstrate the similarities and differences in the anatomy of the mammary glands of women, female dogs and female rats, as well as the epidemiology, risk factors, and histopathological features of breast/mammary cancer in each model. It also demonstrates the advantages and disadvantages of each model, as they can serve as sources for several in vitro models, further increasing the translational potential of these models. Abstract: Breast cancer is one of the most common and well-known types of cancer among women worldwide and is the most frequent neoplasm in intact female dogs. Female dogs are considered attractiv

FAQs

Which animal models are most commonly used for breast cancer research, and why?

Female dogs are used as attractive models for studying spontaneous breast cancer, while female rats are widely used in laboratory contexts. These models support a One Health perspective and help identify relevant biopathological pathways and therapeutic candidates.

What are the main anatomical similarities and differences among women, female dogs, and female rats?

Women and female dogs share structural similarities, particularly regarding lactiferous ducts and lymphatic drainage. In contrast, female rats have only one lactiferous duct per nipple.

How does the review address the translation of findings across species?

It compares species-specific features and emphasizes the need to consider each model’s advantages and limitations. The goal is to support appropriate conclusions and extrapolation of breast tumorigenesis results among species.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Jake